In-line roller skates include multiple wheels all rotating in a common plane and secured to a frame beneath each foot of the skater. The construction provides a skater with much of the same feeling experienced on an ice skate, while the in-line skate may be used on a much wider variety of terrain.
Typical in-line skates include four or five wheels of the same size having parallel axes of rotation generally within the same horizontal plane, perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the frame. All of the wheels are carried and rotatably supported by the frame. The frame itself is then attached to the base of a shoe or boot.
Rapid wear of the wheels and associated bearings during use requires their frequent rotation and/or replacement. Traditionally, skate axles have been secured by screws or other similar components which require some type of wrench for removal. Thus, not only are specific tools required which may not be readily available, this type of removal and replacement process is also unnecessarily time consuming. Further, with this type of device, the various axle components, particularly the attachment components like nuts or screws, are not secured against misplacement, and may be easily lost.
Various attempts have been made to overcome these drawbacks by implementing devices that were designed to allow the quick disengagement and reengagement of the wheels without requiring the owner to use particular tools. These arrangements however, have not been met with wide acceptance. This is likely because these devices still required multiple components to secure the axle assembly and/or the devices had additional associated drawbacks. One common drawback of these conventional arrangements is that the axle locking components are located outside of the frame, extending substantially outward from the frame side wall. This makes these types of devices potentially susceptible to damage or unintentional release from the axle due to aggressive skating activities which cause substantial contact with the frame side walls.
Thus, conventional axle assemblies and recent alternative arrangements have proved unsuccessful in producing a satisfactory quick release axle. There still exists a need for an in-line roller skate with quickly removable wheels and self-contained, quick-release axles that can be easily removed without the assistance of specialized tooling.